How to Get Rubber Cement Off of Suede

Rubber cement is a good medium for paste-up projects.

If you’ve spilled some rubber cement on a fine piece of suede clothing while working on an art project, try to look on the bright side: you’ll probably never make this mistake again as you'll remember to wear the appropriate work clothes the next time. But don’t view the rubber cement as a permanent blemish – on your judgment or your clothing. With a little patience and elbow grease, you can probably lift the cement -- and without using chemicals or cleansers that would damage the suede.

Things You'll Need

• Spoon
• Eraser
• Emery board or very fine sandpaper
• Suede brush

Instructions

1. Scrape the rubber cement with a spoon. The cement should curl at the edges so that you can lift some of it off.

2. Rub the rest of the rubber cement with an eraser. Use a pencil-capped eraser so that you are better able to target the cement.

3. Test an obscure area of the suede first -- and do so gently – with an emery board or very fine sandpaper.

4. Apply the appropriate degree of force to sand any fine traces of rubber cement residue.

5. 

   Suede is a fairly delicate fabric that usually requires dry cleaning, not laundering.

   Brush the suede with a suede brush to restore the nap to its original condition (or at least very close to it).

Tips & Warnings

• You may try a dry-cleaning solvent (such as K2r), but test it first on an obscure area of the suede. Thicker suede fabrics may be able to withstand the solvent while lightweight suedes could incur some damage.

References

• Bubbles and Suds: Stain Removal Techniques for Rubber Cement
• How to Clean Stuff: How to Remove Adhesive From Suede
• Good Housekeeping.com: How to Remove Rubber Cement

Resources

• House Cleaning Central.com: Carpet Cleaning Tips and Tricks